1、AChina is a land of bicycles. At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country. Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle. Millions of them, all black. Cars were rare. Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year, Ive found the opposite is true. There are millions of cars. However, peopl
2、e still use their bicycles to get around. For many, its the easiest and cheapest way to travel today. Bicycles also come in different colors-silver, green, red, blue, yellow, whatever you want.Its fun watching people biking. They rush quickly through crossroads, move skillfully through traffic, and
3、ride even on sidewalks(人行道). Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just cant provide.Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture, I decided to buy a bicycle. Great weather accompanied my great buy. I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started home.My first ride h
4、ome was orderly (守秩序的). To be safe, I stayed with a “pack” of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times. I didnt want to get hit. So I took the ride carefully.Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the Unit
5、ed States. The streets here were wide, so crossing took time, skill and a little bit of luck.I finally made it home. The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful. I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people. Biking mad
6、e me feel alive.61. According to the author, why are bicycles still popular in China today?A. Because they are traditional and safe.B. Because they are convenient and inexpensive.C. Because they are colorful and available.D. Because they are fast and environment friendly.62. The author decided to bu
7、y a bicycle because he intended _.A. to ride it for funB. to use it for transportC. to experience local skillsD. to improve his riding skills63. How did the author feel about his street crossing?A. It was boring.B. It was difficult. C. It was lively.D. It was wonderful.64. Which of the following bes
8、t describes the authors biking experience?A. The author enjoyed showing off his biking skills.B. The author was annoyed by the air while riding.C. The author was praised by the other bikers.D. The author took great pleasure in biking.BAccording to sociologists, every modern industrial society has so
9、me form of social stratification（阶层）. Class, power and status are important in deciding peoples rank in society. Class means a persons economic position in society. A commonly used classification is lower class, middle class and upper class. While sociologists disagree on how these terms should be e
10、xactly defined, they do describe societies like the United States quite well. One study shows that 53% of Americans belong to the lower class, 46% the middle class, and 1% the upper class. Interestingly, a surgeon earning 500,000 a year and a bus driver earning 50,000 a year both regard themselves a
11、s the middle class! Power refers to the amount of control a person has over other people. Obviously, people in positions of great power (such as governors) exercise（行使）big power, but people who take orders from others have less power. Power and class do not always go hand in hand, however. For examp
12、le, the governor of a state has great power, but he or she may not belong to a corresponding （相应的）economic class. Generally, however, there is a relationship between power and class. To our knowledge, there arent too many people who arent millionaires in the U.S. Senate!Status is the honor or respec
13、t attached to a persons position in society. It can also be affected by power and class, but not necessarily so. For example, a university professor may have a high status but not belong to a high social class or have a lot of power over others.65. What can we learn about “the middle class” from Par
14、agraph 2?A. People earning 50,000 a year belong to the middle class.B. Nearly half Americans belong to the middle class.C. People generally consider bus drivers as the middle class.D. Sociologists have a clear definition of the middle class.66. According to the text, we know that _.A. power and clas
15、s do not always correspond with each otherB. status refers to a persons economic position in societyC. people with high status have a lot of control over othersD. class is less important in deciding a persons social rank67. Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?CFun dayTo cele
16、brate the Year of the SnakeOrganized by Lam Tin Youth Centre and Kwun Tong High schoolDate：2 February 2013Time：10 am 5 pmPlace：Kwn Tong PlaygroundFee: $ 20 (buy three get one free)Programmes：drama, lion dance, magic show and ballet performanceHighlights: 1) enter the lucky draw to win a digital came
17、ra 2) learn to make festival foodJohn us on the Fun day! All are welcome!Note: Ticket are available at the General Office of Lam Tin Youth Centre. For those who would like to be a volunteer, please contact Miss Olivia Wong one week before the activity.68. What you have just read is a . A. noteB. rep
18、ortC. scheduleD. poster69. What is going to take place on 2 February, 2013?A. A big event to welcome a Chinese new year.B. A social gathering to raise money for wildlife C. A party for close friends to meet and have fun.D. A meeting of Kwun Tong High School students.70. How much do you have to pay i
19、n total if four of you go together?A. $ 20.B. $ 40C. $ 60.D. $ 80.71. Which of the following statements is true?A. Tickets are sold in Kwun Tong High School. B. Its unnecessary to take soft drinks with you.C. Free digital cameras are provided for everybody.D. Festival food will be served without ext
20、ra charge.DLONDON-A British judge on Thursday sentenced a businessman who sold fake（假冒的）bomb detectors（探测器）to 10 years in prison, saying the man hadnt cared about potentially deadly consequences.It is believed that James McCormick got about $ 77.8 million from the sales of his detectors-which were b
21、ased on a kind of golf ball finder-to countries including Iraq, Belgium and Saudi Arabia.McCormick, 57, was convicted（判罪）of cheats last month and sentenced Thursday at the Old Bailey court in London.“Your cheating conduct in selling a great amount of useless equipment simply for huge profit promoted
22、 a false sense of security and in all probability materially contributed to causing death and injury to innocent people,” Judge Richard Hone told McCormick. “You have neither regret, nor shame, nor any sense of guilt.”The detectors, sold for up to $ 42, 000 each, were said to be able to find such da
23、ngerous objects as bombs under water and from the air. But in fact they “lacked any grounding in science” and were of no use.McCormick had told the court that he sold his detectors to the police in Kenya, the prison service in Hong Kong, the army in Egypt and the border control in Thailand.“I never
24、had any bad results from customers,” he said.72. Why was McCormick sentenced to prison?A. He sold bombs. B. He caused death of people.C. He made detectors.D. He cheated in business.73. According to the judge, what McCormick had done .A. increased the cost of safeguardingB. lowered peoples guard agai
25、nst dangerC. changed peoples idea of social securityD. caused innocent people to commit crimes74. Which of the following is true of the detectors?A. They have not been sold to Africa B. They have caused many serious problems.C. They can find dangerous objects in water.D. They dont function on the ba
26、sis of science.75. It can be inferred from the passage that McCormick .A. solo the equipment at a low priceB. was well-known in most countriesC. did not think he had committed the crimeD. had not got such huge profit as mentioned in the textEThe light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but i
27、t could not prevent the damp cold of Denniss Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jacks dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name
28、 ? ”“Are you sure you want to hear it ? Its a scary story,” warned Jack.“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldnt have chosen this place!”“Ok, but dont say I didnt warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to star
29、t a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in . In those days, the area looked quite different - it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he re
30、fused to listen to advice.“ You are clearing too much land, warned one old man. The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. “ Silly fool, said Dennis to himself. If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. Ill become wealthier. Hes just jealous!”“Dennis continued to chop do
31、wn trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plant
32、s.”“What happened? ” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.“The land hit back - just as the old man warned, ” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His bo
33、dy was never found.”“What a stupid story, ” laughed Tom. “Plants cant ” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Toms face. It was a while before
34、Tom could appreciate the joke.76.The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to _.A. courageB. assistanceC. instructionD. challenge77.Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?A. To frighten them. B. To satisfy their curiosity C. To warn them of the danger of the place. D. To per
35、suade them to camp in the swamp.78.Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?A. The old man envied him.B. The old man was foolishC. He was too busy to listen to others.D. He was greedy for more crops.79.Why did Tom scream and faint?A. He saw Denniss shadowB. He was scared by a plantC. His friends played a joke on him.D. The weather became extremely cold.80. What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?A. Grasp all, lose all.B. No sweat, no sweet.C. It is no use crying over spilt milk.D. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.
